Disappearing Act
by TigressJade
Summary: Pre-Slash.  Saguru Hakuba rescues Kaitou Kid after he is shot down by a sniper. Kaito spends the night in Saguru's apartment. Interlude for the 3rd Detective Conan movie "The Last Wizard of the Century". Spoilers!


Summary: Pre-Slash. Companion to "The Last Wizard of the Century". Saguru Hakuba rescues Kaitou Kid after he is shot down by Seiren. Kaito spends the night in Saguru's apartment.

Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito. I can't even draw. XD

Author's Note: This fanfic takes place during the time jump in the Detective Conan movie: "The Last Wizard of the Century". Just after Conan arrives to find the Faberge egg lying near the remnants of Kid's glider and monocle. The events of this story happen before Conan, Ran, and Mouri board the ship to Tokyo headed for Yokosuka Castle.

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><p>"Hakuba. Why am I on your bed?"<p>

"Because I had nowhere else to put you, you impertinent thief" grumbled the British Detective. "Why I'm even doing this is beyond me."

The detective began shuffling around the room, pulling bandages out of a stored box and adding them to the gauze and antiseptic at the edge of the bed. They were in a small private apartment that Hakuba's family kept in downtown Osaka for business purposes. His father rarely made use of it now that his mother was currently residing England, except to attend meetings with other police commissioners and the occasional family vacation. Currently, it was being used as a hiding place for a certain _internationally wanted_ thief.

Kaito was lounging at the other end of the bed, watching Saguru's actions with mild interest. The irony of his presence in the detective's apartment seemed to amuse the thief. There was little chance of Inspector Nakamori or the kid detective looking for him here. After tonight's events they probably thought he was dead, rather than having been spirited away by a certain British detective. Kaitou Kid smiled thoughtfully as he realized that presumed death might make his plans for the next few days much less complicated.

Saguru walked back around the bed and stared at the grinning Kaitou.

"Like what you see, Tantei-san?"

Hakuba rolled his eyes and began to clean the cuts around the thief's right eye and the upper part of his cheek.

"I was checking your injuries Kuroba, you fell a good fifty to sixty feet" Hakuba answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

"It was the monocle" the thief complained dramatically "she shot my monocle. Crazy Russian-"

Saguru sighed exasperatedly.

"So you actually know the person who shot you? Please tell me you didn't team up with someone, not that French woman."

Kaito shrugged.

"I'm not much of a team player" he said "and no I haven't teamed up with Chat Noir. I'm not into older women. As to the shooter, I know her, in a manner of speaking. She was after the Fabergé egg, the same as me. The difference is, I wanted to give it back to its rightful owner."

"I knew it was you" Hakuba said quietly.

Kaito gave him a measured look.

"You aren't going to tell the other members of your little club are you? That would be very inconvenient for me, Hakuba." he asked coolly.

It was a loaded question, Hakuba knew that one word to either Heiji Hattori or Conan Edogawa, an informant for the infamous detective Shinichi Kudo, would allow them to capture the Kaitou Kid once and for all. He was a detective working with the Police Department. Turning Kuroba in was the right thing to do, logically speaking, but there was simply no way he was turning over a classmate to a couple of egotistical teen and Nakamori to be poked, prodded, questioned and then shipped off to do twenty to life in prison. Not to mention Aoko and Koizumi would kill him for turning Kuroba over to the authorities. Aoko, more because she'd want the first crack at him. Saguru wondered how long it would take to beat someone to death with a mop. He smiled involuntarily. The four of them, Aoko, Koizumi, Kuroba, and he had formed a little group of their own during this last term at school. Even Aoko's friend Keiko joined them to hang out occasionally after school, and, Saguru found he didn't want to lose that time with his friends. Yes, he admitted it, much as he'd tried to resist such a thing, Kaito Kuroba had become his friend. They'd openly mock one another at heists and compete academically. It was fun and he was wont to lose that strange friendship by having the Kaitou Kid, a thief who refused to allow anyone, police, bystanders, or fellow criminals get hurt during a heist. A thief who stole for a reason, however mysterious, that was worth risking his life in order to fulfill it.

"I've decided against it" Saguru answered after a bit "Kudo's little informant wouldn't hesitate to turn you over to the police, regardless of your reasons for stealing other people's possessions, or I might add, your track record of saving his life. Hattori, on his own, might be willing to listen to what you have to say, but I'd recommend waiting a few months until things have cooled down a bit. The kid detective is currently gunning for you with a bit too much enthusiasm for my tastes."

Kaito smiled approvingly.

"He has his moments" the thief replied "the kid's just too set on using his case work to help him ignore his own problems. Hattori, I like, he's interesting. Broke a window back on that island where you all met up, didn't he, just to see if the guy might still be alive trapped in that room?"

"He needlessly destroyed evidence," Hakuba groused.

"Ah, but he did it with style, didn't he?"

Hakuba fixed the brunette lying across his bed with a bland expression.

"He's not some kind of superhero, Kuroba. Stunts like that won't help him if his aspirations of joining the Osakan police force are indeed true. He's a liability and you know it."

"His father's the chief down there" Kaito pointed out "he wouldn't have any trouble getting in."

"Using one's father as an in, isn't the most honorable means of finding a job" Hakuba retorted.

"Isn't that what you did, Hakuba?" the thief countered "You used your father's influence to make it so you could be involved in the Kid case."

"Yes, but it isn't exactly a paid position. I wanted the experience and the notoriety. I was hoping to catch you, simple as that."

"Before letting me get away and calling me from Paris to help me out with a heist?"

"I wasn't helping you out" Hakuba said, clearly feeling affronted "I didn't want you to get yourself caught by some lady of infamy while I was out of the country. Because I want to be the one to catch you. Simple as that."

Kaito grinned.

"Sure it is." the thief said mockingly "Protecting your interests were you?"

"Stuff it, Kuroba. You wouldn't be here, if I didn't have a vested interest in your continued health and eventual capture."

"As you wish, Tantei-san" Kaito answered with a mysterious smile.

"So, just to be clear, being a thief isn't part of some childhood fantasy about wanting to be the caped crusader, is it?" Hakuba asked.

"More like the Dread Pirate Roberts, actually. I've always wanted to travel the seven seas with nothing but a sailboat and a clever mask."

Saguru groaned in annoyance.

"Kuroba!"

Kaito held up his hands in surrender.

"Okay, okay. So I'm not some wannabe super hero. Though I will admit the batman crack was closer to the truth. I'm not in it for the vengeance, exactly, but I lost someone because of a particular object. I need to find it and destroy it before it causes anymore harm."

"The Philosopher's Stone?" Hakuba queried.

"Not quite, but something just like it. It's a gem that's a bit less Fullmetal Alchemist and a bit more Harry Potter."

"Immortality?"

"Bingo."

"You're going through an awful of trouble for an object that might not even exist." Hakuba told him. "What will you do if it doesn't?"

"Life is pain, Tantei-san. Anyone who says differently is selling something."

"Can you stop quoting the Princess Bride, Kuroba, it's disconcerting. Though I'm surprised you've even heard of the film."

Kaito grinned.

"My father knew at least six different languages, he insisted that I learn English before the age of ten. It being the preferred language most of the European countries where he liked to travel."

Saguru let out another sigh. He knew that was about all he'd get out of the thief at the present time. Although he was surprised Kaito trusted him enough to divulge the aforementioned bits of information. It gave him something to go on at least.

"That would explain it." Hakuba said lightly "So, why are you here anyway? Your objective is usually large gems, why go after a Faberge egg? The jewel would be melded in with gold and silver and almost impossible to separate from the egg itself."

"Rescue mission." Kaito stated, his tone a bit more serious now. "Someone managed to locate a particular Faberge egg that should rightfully belong to one Natsumi Kousaka. Her life is in danger. Ran-nii-san, the "Sleeping Kogoro" and the Tantei-kun are the ones investigating it. I'm trying to keep them all out of harm's way while they search for the meaning behind the egg."

"Why does this Natsumi girl have a right to the egg, is she a distant cousin of the Romanov line?" Saguru asked, the Kaito's story had piqued his interest "And if so, couldn't she simply argue her claim against the museum? A set of proper documentation might make an international court rule in her favor."

"I want your word, that will never tell another soul about this." Kaito said fixing the blond detective with stern look "This information can never get out into the public eye."

Hakuba raised an eyebrow at his companion, but didn't say a word and simply nodded his assent.

"Hakuba?"

"You have my word as a gentleman, Kuroba. Does that suit?"

The thief grinned at him and as the detective dabbed a bit at the cuts around his eye. Hakuba reached over started to pour on the antiseptic. He then proceeded, much to Kaito's chagrin, to cover it with squarely padded bandages. When it was done, the Kaitou continued his explanation.

"Natsumi Kousaka is the last descendant of the line of Nicholas II," said the thief. "Her great grandmother, Maria Nikolaevna was in love with one of Faberge's workers. He helped her escape during the revolution, which is why her body was never found at Yekaterinburg. They came here to Japan and managed to hide here for about five to six years. The two were married and had a child, Natsumi's grandmother. However, Maria sickened and died a year later, leaving the man all alone with the baby. He constructed Yokosuka Castle with the money he got from selling his wife's jewels and buried her beneath it. "

"Everyone thinks her sister Anastasia survived. How ironic." Hakuba mused. "How did you find out what really happened?"

"Maria Nikolaevna was still fairly recognizable at the time of her reappearance in Japan, certain families with 'connections' were called upon to aid in keeping her identity a secret. It was a personal favor to the Dowager Empress Marie in Paris. One of those men was my own great-great grandfather. He was asked to shelter Maria and her husband, while they were in Ekoda. We have a set of letters the family had received during that time period describing the events that transpired. The signatures of both the Grand Duchess and the Dowager Empress were present on several of the letters and have been authenticated."

"I wasn't aware that your family was considered nobility here, Kuroba. I've never heard anyone refer to you differently."

"The Kuroba's had some status in Japan back before the second world war." Kaito informed him. "My grandfather was able to retain some of his wealth by converting the family fortune into diamonds, thereby retaining his status as a danshaku. When the emperor fell into disfavor during the occupation, several former shoguns turned businessmen took over the area and started changing the localized government, with certain social titles falling into disuse. My father was a magician and wanted to make his own way in life, he saw no reason to assume the status of a Danshaku." (1)

"Instead he became a world famous magician, that's quite a twist." The detective said, amused. "But the Kuroba's former nobility status does explain why a member of Russian Royalty would come to them for aid. I'm willing to suspend disbelief on the matter of how you know."

"The couple eventually settled down and managed to fade into the woodwork. However, Natsumi's grandmother passed away last year and left her several authentic drawings of two Faberge eggs constructed by Maria's husband." Kaito stated "Now that Natsumi has brought them out into the open, Seiren Urashi, a descendant of Grigori Rasputin wants the eggs and a bit of revenge for her ancestor's brutal murder. She wants Natsumi dead."

Hakuba shook his head in disbelief.

"Simply put, she's blaming the Japanese and a girl who barely knows the nature of her own heritage for a ninety-year -old murder in Russia, that was in actuality committed by members of Slavic nobility. I take it no one has figured this out yet?" Saguru inquired, already knowing the answer.

It would be a cold day in hell when either Nakamori, the "Sleeping Kogoro", or Inspector Megure managed to solve such a complicated case. Even the kid detective seemed to be having a bit of trouble with this one or else the police would already have taken the culprit in custody. Unless the brat was waiting to find the location of Maria's tomb. Being trapped in a castle with a known murderer wasn't exactly Hakuba's idea of decent forethought, but it wasn't his case. It was Kaito Kid's, for now anyway, until the authorities stepped in and took the credit for Seiren's inevitable capture. Repaying the phantom thief for his aid by trying to detain him as well as the would be assassin.

"Nope. Tantei-kun is getting closer to figuring it out though" Kaito assured him "I just need to be there before he gets himself killed going up against someone twice his size and armed."

"Why does he do that?" Hakuba asked curiously "I've never seen a six year old so physically reckless. Going up against adults with guns, performing autopsies at a glance, who is this kid? I barely grasped the concept of death by the time I was eight, never mind the idea of one person taking the life of another."

"That was about the time I realized it as well" Kaito said darkly "Conan Edogawa is a stage name. He isn't really a child, more like the result of a science experiment gone wrong. A secret organization, one that does its business in the darkest possible corners of society, tried to poison the noted detective Shinichi Kudo when he tried to listen in on a rather inopportune conversation between several agents of that organization. The poison was flawed and instead of taking his life, it gave him the body of a six year old."

Saguru gave the thief a shocked look and rapidly tried to process what he'd just been told. The sudden social isolation of one of Japan's most noted High School Detectives now made perfect sense. Shinichi Kudo no longer attended school or most noted social events, he even refused the company of his best friend Ran Mouri, someone whose company he had actively sought out until a year ago. It all made sense now, Kudo was now a six year old boy with no way to discern his identity to others without endangering his own life or that of those around him.

Except, the theory was absolutely ludicrous. How could anyone ever take such a notion seriously?

"Alright, say I believe you, Kuroba. How did you manage to find out about an incident you weren't even present for? I highly doubt you're one of Shinichi Kudo's close confidants."

"Heiji Hattori keeps dropping hints to Ran Mouri and her father about Kudo's identity. At least he did, before things started getting heated. Then Kudo started seeing members of "the organization" every time he turned around. He's lucky those FBI agents from the States have done such a good job watching his back for the past year."

"That doesn't explain how you knew he'd been poisoned." Hakuba quipped.

"I happened to overhear Kudo and Hattori discussing it once, while I was planning out the location of my next heist. I'm surprised that Ran and Ms. Toyama haven't figured out the truth simply by eavesdropping on one of their conversations."

"I suppose, given the current situation, you're going to need to get back in with Kudo's group before they get themselves killed." Hakuba said "Much as I'd advise against letting you travel after literally falling from the sky. You can't stay here, it's too risky. My entire family has access to this apartment and might choose to visit at any time, even tomorrow, without giving notice. You can stay the night, but we need to get you out of here by tomorrow morning at the latest."

Kaito shrugged.

"I'll track them down eventually, Tantei-han and Tantei-kun are probably still trying to figure out whether or not I'm dead."

The thief grinned maniacally.

"They'd never suspect you showed up in the middle of an investigation and carried me off, Hakuba. Can you imagine the look on Tantei-han's face? I'll bet he'd be terribly jealous about seeing you with someone else."

Hakuba brought a hand to his face and sighed in resignation.

"Hattori likes girls, in particular a Ms. Kazuha Toyama. For which I'm extremely grateful. The idea of the two of us being anything other than acquaintances is disconcerting at best." the blond detective stated matter-of-factly

"Hmm...not Hattori then. So, who do you _like_, Hakuba?" asked the grinning thief "Aoko maybe? Koizumi?"

Saguru shook his head, a light blush dusting his cheeks.

"That's none of your concern, Kuroba. My list of acquaintances isn't exclusive to Japan, you know."

"Hmph, well you're no fun." the thief admonished him "You should lighten up once in a while, Tantei-san."

"Between you, Aoko, and Koizumi at least one person in the group needs to be remotely serious."

Hakuba turned and left the room. When he returned the blonde brought with him a new set of clothing and some spare pajamas. Setting them down on the bed, Saguru told Kaito to stay where he was and set aside a bag for him to store his "Kid" clothes in.

"I'll call you a taxi in the morning." Hakuba told him "Hopefully you can manage to get yourself home in one piece when the case is over. I don't want you even thinking about following Hattori and Kudo until tomorrow. I've taken the immediacy of the case into consideration and the fact that lives are at stake, so I know you won't stay put for more than ten hours at best."

"Why Hakuba, I didn't know you cared" Kaito answered winking at him.

"It would be too late in the game for me to join the investigation now, the other two would get suspicious. Just try not to get yourself caught. I don't want to have to explain to Aoko why her best friend got himself arrested in Tokyo."

Kaito blinked at him.

"I never said anything about Tokyo."

Hakuba stared back with an incredulous expression.

"Mouri, Ran, and "Conan" have booked passage to Tokyo on board a ship leaving tomorrow, I checked. I'm guessing Seiren and Natsumi are also on board. Don't let Kudo ruin your life while you're attempting to save his, Kuroba. We'll all regret it if you do."

"Hakuba, why did you save me? You could have easily turned me over to Nakamori yourself. Kudo wouldn't have been able to take credit for it, since you'd clearly gotten there first and are in fact, a member of my task force. So, what gives?"

"You had a clear getaway" Hakuba said looking him straight in the eye "if that woman hadn't taken a shot at you, neither Kudo, Hattori, or anyone would have had a shot at catching you tonight. It wasn't a fair fight. I want to catch you for real, not because some sniper got you with a lucky shot. Get some sleep, Kuroba. I won't turn you in this time. You have my word."

Kaito nodded approvingly and turned away.

Hakuba left and headed for the guest bedroom. He knew he'd have to erase any evidence of Kid's presence in the apartment, once morning came, but for now he could rest. Saguru had a train ticket to Ekoda waiting for him on his desk. He had a long day of travel to look forward to after this. Kuroba would probably continue to follow the other detectives and Hakuba honestly didn't envy him having to travel alongside that Seiran woman.

The blond detective sighed, and got into bed before turning out the light. It was a shame that he couldn't stay though, just to see how it all ended. Hakuba had only just returned to Japan two days ago and happened to hear about the heist note the police had received during his absence. It was too late for him to join the investigation, owing to the fact that Mouri and Heiji Hattori were already involved. So instead Hakuba simply observed the events from afar. Ironically, it was he who had gotten Kid out of a rather sticky situation. Hakuba suspected that Kaito's "nobody gets hurt" mantra must have finally gotten to him.

After pinpointing the direction in which the thief was headed. He followed Kaito to a set of warehouses, only to see the idiot get shot down a few moments later. The blonde acted swiftly and decisively, lifting the injured thief out of the wreckage of his glider and dragging him off into one of the warehouses, right before a certain kid detective appeared on the scene.

After much deliberation Hakuba had lifted Kaito over his shoulder and managed to get him to the nearest side street. Then stood there in the shadows and watched Nakamori and the rest of the task force arrived to cordon off the area. It was hard to miss them really, as they'd swept through traffic with their sirens blaring.

Hakuba had taken full advantage of the darkness caused by the power outage. He made his way unnoticed through several side streets and under a few fire escapes, eventually arriving at his family's apartment near the center of Osaka.

In retrospect, Saguru realized that the reason he had saved Kaito wasn't a matter of morality, so much as he didn't like seeing one of his, dare he say it, _friends_ injured like that. Admittedly he had begun to think of Aoko, Koizumi, Keiko, and even Kaito as his friends. They were his schoolmates. Crazy as they were, they had succeeded in making his life much more interesting. So despite some internal misgivings on his part, Hakuba decided to do everything in his power to keep things the way they were. Even if he never actually caught Kaitou Kid.

Maybe it was better that way.

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><p>(1) <strong>Danshaku -<strong> baron.


End file.
